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Councilmember Gallo Introduces RV Parking Ban Proposal

Oakland has 147 total spaces for RV parking in the Safe Parking Programs the city has helped set up through non-profit organizations, according to Citywide Communication Director Karen Boyd. None of these spaces are currently available for residents.

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On May 24, the Public Works Committee is scheduled to receive a supplemental report that aims to address inquiries by Taylor, Kalb and Thao about Gallo’s proposal. The committee is then scheduled to vote on the proposal.
On May 24, the Public Works Committee is scheduled to receive a supplemental report that aims to address inquiries by Taylor, Kalb and Thao about Gallo’s proposal. The committee is then scheduled to vote on the proposal.

By Zack Haber

During a Public Works Department committee meeting on March 22, Councilmember Noel Gallo introduced an ordinance to amend the city of Oakland’s municipal code to place limitations on large, non-commercial vehicles parking in certain streets.

The proposal would make it illegal to park a vehicle that is longer than 22 feet, wider than 7 feet, and/or taller than 7 feet on any street that is 40 feet wide.

Since the vast majority of RVs and trailers are larger than the dimensions listed, advocates for people that live in such vehicles and vehicle dwellers themselves have labeled the legislation as an RV ban. According to a draft that Oakland’s Department of Transportation shared with The Oakland Post, about 79% of Oakland streets are 40 feet wide or narrower.

“This proposal would give the city authority to tow and impound peoples’ vehicle dwellings leaving them on the street with no shelter,” reads an Instagram post from Love and Justice in the Streets, a grassroots advocacy group for Oakland residents experiencing homelessness. “It does not include any real solutions or offer any housing solutions to Oakland residents who currently find shelter in RVs.”

The language in Gallo’s proposal lists blocking bike lanes, access for emergency vehicles and improving visibility for drivers as reasons for the ban.

“I think the policy is very clear, that I can’t do anything I want in front of (Councilmember) Dan Kalb’s house or park my RV therein and leave my trash and garbage whenever I want to,” said Gallo. “I bring this request to you on behalf of the residents that have been here a lifetime that are trying to send their children to school but cannot walk on the street because they’re being blocked off.”

A little over a dozen residents spoke out against Gallo’s proposal during the meeting, saying it would harm vehicle dwellers by taking their homes without offering solutions, especially as some vehicles that serve as homes are difficult to move as they no longer run.

Judy Elkin said, “people need these vehicles for their homes.”

Oakland unhoused resident Nino Parker said the proposal would “just put more people on the street” and that it was “going to make the problem worse.” The legislation would charge the person living in a vehicle that gets towed for towing and storage fees, although it doesn’t list where vehicles would be stored. Parker suggested that if the proposal passes, vehicle dwellers who have their homes towed should move to District 5, which is Gallo’s district.

Two residents spoke in favor of Gallo’s proposal during the meeting. One of these residents, who identified their self only using their first name, Patricia, said “hopefully the RVs can just go into the lots that have already been set up for parking because they pose a problem when you’re cycling around the city.”

Oakland has 147 total spaces for RV parking in the Safe Parking Programs the city has helped set up through non-profit organizations, according to Citywide Communication Director Karen Boyd. None of these spaces are currently available for residents.

“None of the sites have vacancies right now,” wrote Boyd in an email. “Not all of the sites are full, but they are not able to take new people for various reasons.”

Gallo’s proposal does not add any additional spaces for RV parking.

Ultimately, the Public Works Committee, which in addition to Gallo also includes Councilmembers Loren Taylor, Dan Kalb and Sheng Thao, unanimously decided to delay voting on the proposal until a meeting on May 24. Taylor and Kalb asked for a supplemental report on the proposal that would address how it would be enforced, whether the city could determine which RVs belonged to Oakland residents and/or those who worked in Oakland, and information on other similar ordinances from other nearby cities.

Thao asked for a plan as to where the RVs would go if they were towed.

“If we are removing RVs from streets, where are we bringing them?” she asked. Then stated that she “doesn’t want them just shifting around.”

On May 24, the Public Works Committee is scheduled to receive a supplemental report that aims to address inquiries by Taylor, Kalb and Thao about Gallo’s proposal. The committee is then scheduled to vote on the proposal.

If the majority of the committee votes to pass the proposal, the entire City Council could then vote it into law in a future meeting.

Activism

IN MEMORIAM: Nate Holden, State Senator and Longtime Los Angeles Councilmember, Dies at 95

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.” Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

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Former Los Angeles Councilmember and California State Sen. Nate Holden. File photo.
Former Los Angeles Councilmember and California State Sen. Nate Holden. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Nathaniel “Nate” Holden, a prominent figure in the city’s politics, passed away at the age of 95, his family confirmed on May 7.

Holden, who represented South Los Angeles for 16 years on the City Council and served one term in the California State Senate, was widely regarded as a forceful advocate for his community.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.”

Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Holden’s journey to political prominence began in the segregated South, where he was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1929. He often recalled the childhood moment when he first heard the governor of Georgia vowing to continue suppressing Black people.

“Doing the best you can for the people. Law and order. Make sure that people’s communities are safe. I did it all,” said Holden, reflecting on his legacy.

Holden is survived by his sons, including former California Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represented a district in Southern California that includes Pasadena and Altadena in Los Angeles County and cities in San Bernardino County.

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Activism

Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

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iStock.
iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.

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Alameda County

Oakland Begins Month-Long Closure on Largest Homeless Encampment

At 8 a.m. sharp, city workers began piling up trash and dismantling makeshift homes along the nearly five-block encampment. City crews blocked off streets from 14th Ave to 17th Ave, between E. 12th and International Blvd, due to the Safe Work Zone Ordinance that was passed by the city council in 2022 to protect workers from harassment during cleanings, according to a city spokesperson.

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The City of Oakland began sweeping their largest homeless encampment on E 12th St. Monday morning. Advocates claim that the city has not done its due diligence with providing ample resources or outreach for residents at the encampment. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.
The City of Oakland began sweeping their largest homeless encampment on E 12th St. Monday morning. Advocates claim that the city has not done its due diligence with providing ample resources or outreach for residents at the encampment. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland began a three-week-long breakdown of the largest homeless encampment in the city on E. 12th Street on Monday morning. Residents and advocates said they are devastated about the displacement of dozens of people.

At 8 a.m. sharp, city workers began piling up trash and dismantling makeshift homes along the nearly five-block encampment. City crews blocked off streets from 14th Ave to 17th Ave, between E. 12th and International Blvd, due to the Safe Work Zone Ordinance that was passed by the city council in 2022 to protect workers from harassment during cleanings, according to a city spokesperson.

Jaz Colibri, one of the many advocates at the closure, said the encampment sweeps were “intense and terrifying” to witness. They claimed that several residents, many of them non-English speakers, had not been aware that the sweep was happening that day because of a lack of proper communication and outreach from Oakland.

Colibri added that the city had done a Census “many months ago” and “had not bothered to count people since then”, meaning dozens of individuals have missed out on housing and resources in the last few weeks because the city doesn’t offer outreach in multiple languages.

“Basically, [Oakland] dropped the ball on actually getting to know everybody who lives here and then creating a housing solution that meets everyone’s needs,” Colibri said.

City spokesperson Jean Walsh told the Post that notices of the closure operation were posted in Spanish and Chinese prior to Monday, but did not clarify if outreach was done in those languages as well.

Nearly a dozen Oakland police vehicles, California Highway Patrol officers, and Oakland Public Works staff were gathered along E 12th waiting for residents to pack up their belongings and move away from the area.

Advocates said residents “felt unsafe” due to the hefty law enforcement presence.

One city worker, who was picking up debris near 16th Ave, said, “They’ve known we were coming for a long time now” in reference to resident confusion about the sweeping.

The state doubled down on its requirement to get cities and counties to deal with their homelessness crisis at a press conference Monday afternoon. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office released a “model ordinance” that is intended to provide a starting point that local municipalities can use to build from and adjust in creating their own policies on encampments, if they haven’t done so yet.

Newsom said “No more excuses, time to deliver” after the state has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into solving the issue.

Oakland was awarded a $7.2 million grant from the state in 2024 to close long-standing encampments in the city, including camps at Martin Luther King, Jr. and 23rd Street, and Mosswood Park.

Residents at these encampments were offered wraparound supportive services, temporary shelter, and eventually will be transitioned to permanent supportive housing, according to a city statement from last year.

Residents who accepted housing at these three encampments were moved into newly acquired property, formerly the Extended Stay America Hotel in West Oakland, which will first serve as interim housing for up to 150 individuals and couples in 105 units, and in the coming year, will be converted into 125 units of permanent housing.

Walsh said as of May 2, “32 residents of the recently closed Mosswood Park encampment moved into the Mandela House program” and as of May 12, “41 residents of the East 12th Street encampment have already accepted offers to move to the Mandela House.” The city will provide final numbers of how many accepted and moved into housing after the closure operation is over.

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